The exemplary embodiment relates to the development of a support system for a device, such as a printer. It finds particular application in connection with a system and method for linking relevant content of a searchable knowledge base with corresponding regions of a visual representation of the device. While the exemplary embodiment is described in terms of a troubleshooting application, it is to be appreciated that the system and method find application in device operation, training, and the like.
Traditionally, users seeking a resolution to problems relating to complex devices, such as printers and computers, often resort to telephoning a service agent for the manufacturer who may seek to diagnose the problem over the telephone. The service agent guides the customer through a troubleshooting sequence that is intended to lead to resolution of the problem or identification of the cause.
More recently, user-operated systems have been made available which provide a user with remote access to a searchable knowledge base (SKB). The SKB may be arranged as a set of problem statements (cases) which describe an observed problem with a device and associated solutions which can resolve at least one cause of the problem. When a user identifies a case which appears to fit the problem, one or more of the corresponding solutions are displayed to the user, as a series of steps to be performed on the device.
The SKB is generally navigated by text searching, either free-text or guided search of a list or hierarchy of textual categories or topics. To make full use of the SKB, the user needs to be able to identify verbally a physical component of the machine, which often has a technical name. Thus, such systems are often better suited to navigation by experts than by a customer seeking to resolve a problem with a machine at its location. However, the process of troubleshooting a device often involves a visual inspection of the device in order to identify the failing component or components. There is therefore often an asymmetry between the way the problem is localized on the device by a customer at the device location and the way the relevant case is retrieved from the SKB.
There remains a need for a system of linking an SKB with a visual representation of the device which assists users lacking expert knowledge in the navigation of the knowledge base.